Hwijie 


Cf)e  Library 

of  t|>e 

Onitietgitp  of  ffilotth  Carolina 


Collection  of  jRottf)  Carolinians 


MjBaff^g 


/  nr- 


REPORT 


VICE-CONSUL  K.  E.  HEIDE 


u, 


OX  THE 


RESOURCES,  TRADE  AND  COMMERCE 


OF 


NORTH  CAROLINA. 


WILMINGTON  : 

NORTH   CAROLINA  PRESBYTERIAN   PUBLISHING  HOUSE. 

1875. 


Digitized  by  the  Internet  Archive 

in  2012  with  funding  from 

University  of  North  Carolina  at  Chapel  Hill 


http://archive.org/details/reportofviceconsOOheid 


ISTOPITH    OAEOLINA, 


North  Carolina,  one  of  the  original  thirteen  States  of  the 
American  Union,  is  situated  on  the  eastern  coast  of  North 
America,  about  half  way  between  New  York  and  the  Gulf 
of  Mexico.  Its  territory  lies  almost  entirely  within  the 
parallels  of  34°  and  3Gi°  North  latitude,  and  accordingly 
has  the  same  latitude  as  the  southern  part  of  Spain  and 
northern  part  of  Morocco.  The  State  has  about  two  hun- 
dred miles  of  sea  coast,  most  of  which  is  low  and  sandy. 

The  greatest  length  of  the  State  from  Cape  Hatteras  on 
the  east  to  the  Smoky  Mountains,  which  separate  it  from 
the  State  of  Tennessee  on  the  west  is  485  miles,  and  its 
greatest  breadth  from  Cape  Fear  on  the  south  to  the  Vir- 
ginia line  on  the  north  is  about  185  miles.  Its  area  is  50,  - 
704  square  miles,  so  that  it  is  larger  than  the  State  of  New 
York  and  very  nearly  the  same  size  as  England. 

PHYSICAL   GEOGRAPHY. 

The  State  is  naturally  divided  into  three  distinct  regions  : 
The  Eastern,  Middle  and  Western. 

The  Eastern,  which  comprises  about  two-thirds  of  the 
State  or  20,000  square  miles,  is  made  up  of  a  succession  of 
low  sand  ridges  which  rise  gradually  from  the  sea  coast. 

The  land  bordering  the  streams  and  sounds  in  this  region 
is  generally  low  and  swampy.  The  large  Albemarle  and 
Pamlico  Sounds  belong  to  this  section. 

The  Middle  district  is  a  low  plateau,  its  area  being  about 
the  same  as  that  of  the  Eastern.  It  is  about  two  hundred 
miles  broad,  and  rises  gradually  from  about  two  hundred 


4 

feet  above  the  sea  level  on  the  east  to  ten  or  twelve"  hundred 
feet  at  its  western  "boundary  at  the  foot  of  the  Blue  Ridge 
Mountains. 

The  Western  district  is  about  half  as  large  as  either  the 
Middle  or  Eastern  districts  having  an  area  of  10,000  square 
miles  or  one-fifth  of  the  whole  State.  It  is  mostly  a  narrow, 
elevated  plateau,  from  two  to  three  thousand  feet  above  the 
sea,  extending  in  a  north  easterly  and  south- westerly  direc- 
tion, being  over  two  hundred  miles  long  and  from  thirty  to 
fifty  miles  broad. 

SOIL. 

The  soil  of  the  large  swamps,  which  are  very  numerous 
near  the  coast  and  in  the  neighborhood  of  the  sounds  and 
bays,  is  a  rich  alluvial  loam.  When  well  drained  and 
properly  cultivated  it  will  produce  very  large  crops  for 
many  years  without  manure  or  fertilizers  of  any  kind.  The 
soil  of  the  remainder  of  the  Eastern  section  is  only  mode- 
rately fertile  being  generally  light  and  sandy. 

In  the  Middle  and  Western  districts  there  is  a  great  va- 
riety of  soils  both  in  composition  and  fertility. 

The  general  character  of  the  soil,  however,  in  these  two 
sections  is  a  clayey,  gravelly  or  sandy  loam.  In  most  cases 
when  well  cultivated  it  seldom  fails  to  produce  abundant 
crops. 

CLIMATE. 

The  climate  for  the  most  part  corresponds  to  that  of 
Northern  Italy  and  Southern  and  Western  France,  but  over 
its  extensive  and  varied  surface  North  Carolina  has  a  great 
range  of  climate  from  subtropical  to  cold  temperate.  The 
annual  temperature  of  Smithville — near  Cape  Fear  at  its 
south-eastern  extremity — is  66°  or  the  same  as  that  of  Alex- 
andria in  Egypt,  while  the  annual  temperature  of  Boone, 
among  the  mountains  in  the  Northwestern  corner  of  the 
State,  is  about  51°  being  equal  to  that  of  Paris  and  New- 
York.  The  annual  temperature  of  the  middle  region  be- 
tween these  two  extremes  is  about  60°  corresponding  to  that 
of  Athens,  Gibraltar  &c. 


The  great  range  of  climate  is  also  very  clearly  shown  by 
the  natural  growth  of  the  different  sections.  In  the  south- 
eastern part  of  the  State,  the  Palmetto  and  Magnolia  trees 
and  Rice  flourish,  while  in  the  north-western  part  the 
White  Pine,  Hemlock  and  Balsam  Fir  trees  are  found,  and 
Canadian  Oats  and  Buckwheat  thrive.  Although  the  cli- 
mate is  very  changeable,  the  extremes  are  not  very  great. 
The  cold  of  winter  rarely  reaches  10°  (Fahrenheit)  and  sun- 
stroke which  is  so  common  and  fatal  in  many  of  the  North- 
ern States  during  the  summer  is  almost  unknown  here. 

Malarial  diseases  are  prevalent  in  the  swampy  sections 
and  along  the  rivers  of  the  east,  but  the  climate  of  the  west 
is  very  pleasant  and  salubrious — the  region  at  the  foot  of 
the  Blue  Ridge  Mountains  being  among  the  healthiest  on 
the  continent. 

FORESTS. 

The  United  States  census  table  for  the  year  1870  states 
that  four-fifths  of  the  State  or  40,000  square  miles  are  still 
covered  with  forests.  The  most  valuable  forest  tree  is  the 
Pine  of  which  there  are  eight  species  in  the  State :  The 
Long  Leaf  (Finns  australis,)  Yellow  (Pinus  mitis,)  and 
White  (Pinus  Strobus,)  being  the  most  important.  The 
Long  Leaf  or  Pitch  Pine  is  only  found  in  the  eastern  part 
of  the  State.  The  light,  sandy  soil  of  this  region  being  well 
adapted  to  its  growth.  It  is  estimated  that  15,000  square 
miles  of  the  State  are  covered  with  forests  of  Pitch  Pine.  It 
is  one  of  the  most  useful  trees  in  the  world — -from  the  sap 
the  naval  stores  (Turpentine,  Rosin,  Tar  and  Pitch,)  of  com- 
merce are  obtained,  the  trunk  is  sawn  into  the  well-known 
pitch  pine  lumber  and  the  leaves  are  used  for  the  same  pur- 
pose as  coarse  straw. 

There  are  about  thirty  turpentine  distilleries  in  the  city 
of  Wilmington  alone,  and  probably  about  five  hundred  in 
the  whole  State.  The  average  value  of  each  distillery  is 
about  eight  hundred  dollars. 


6 

Early  in  the  winter  a  deep  notch  or  "box,'"  as  it  is  called,, 
capable  of  holding  about  a  quart,  is  cut  in  the  trunk  of  the 
tree  about  twelve  inches  from  the  ground. 

From  one  to  five  or  six  boxes  are  cut  in  each  tree  accord- 
ing to  its  size.  During  the  winter  the  sap  or  crude  turpen- 
tine collects  in  these  " boxes,' '  and  by  the  beginning  of 
spring  they  are  generally  nearly  full.  The  turpentine  is 
then  dipped  out  with  a  ladle  made  for  the  purpose,  and 
taken  awa}?-  to  the  distillery  where  it  undergoes  the  ordinary 
process  of  distillation.  The  spirit  thus  obtained  is  known 
as  the  oil  or  spirits  of  turpentine  and  the  residuum  is  rosin. 
The  quality  or  grade  of  the  rosin  depends  principally  upon 
the  purity  of  the  crude  turpentine.  In  the  spring,  when 
the  boxes  are  first  emptied,  the  bark  directly  over  each  box 
is  chipped  off  and  a  fresh  surface  exposed,  over  which  the 
turpentine  collects  and  runs  down  into  the  box.  This  pro- 
cess is  repeated  for  a  number  of  years,  from  ten  to  fifteen 
inches  of  bark  being  chipped  off  during  the  course  of  each 
year.  The  usual  estimate  is  that  one  barrel  of  crude  tur- 
pentine weighing  280  pounds  will  produce  six  gallons  of 
oil  or  spirits  and  16S  pounds  of  rosin  or  60  per  cent,  of  rosin 
and  15  per  cent,  of  spirits. 

After  the  turpentine  of  the  tree  has  been  exhausted  it  is 
cut  down  and  sawn  into  lumber  or  cut  into  small  sticks  and 
charred  in  a  kiln  when  the  tar  contained  in  the  wood  col- 
lects at  the  bottom  and  runs  out  into  a  place  prepared  for 
it,  Pitch  is  made  by  boiling  tar  till  it  becomes  hard  on 
cooling.  The  value  of  naval  stores  and  lumber,  both  pro- 
ducts of  the  pitch  pine  tree,  exported  from  the  port  of  Wil- 
mington alone  during  the  year  1874,  amounted  to  over 
4,300,000  dollars  though  the  price  has  declined  about  25 
per  cent,  from  what  it  was  last  year. 

The  Yellow  Pine  is  found  throughout  the  State  and  makes 
very  good  timber.  It  has  lately  been  used  to  a  considerable 
extent  for  cabinet  purposes  and  for  finishing  the  interior  of 


"buildings— the  wood  being  hard  and  fine-grained,  and 
taking  a  high  polish.  The  White  Pine  is  confined  to  the 
mountainous  regions  of  the  West,  and  frequently  grows  to 
a  very  large  size.  It  resembles  the  Norwegian  pine  more 
than  either  of  the  other  varieties.  The  Short  Leaf  Pine 
(Pinus  taxia)  is  quite  abundant  in  some  parts  of  the  eastern 
district.  It  is  generally  found  in  wet,  swampy  places,  and. 
makes  good  timber  ;  it  also  produces  turpentine,  but  not  in 
sufficient  quantities  to  make  the  cultivation  of  it  profitable. 

Oaks  are  found  in  nearly  all  parts  of  the  State,  but  in  the 
Western  and  Middle  districts  the  oak  growth  predominates 
over  all  others.  There  are  twenty  species  in  the  United 
States  and  all  of  them,  with  probably  one  unimportant  ex- 
ception, are  found  in  North  Carolina.  The  most  valuable 
of  these  are  the  White,  lied  and  Live  Oak.  The  White 
Oak  makes  excellent  timber  and  is  largely  used  for  making- 
casks  and  for  building  purposes.  The  Live  Oak  grows  only 
on  the  seaboard  and  is  in  great  demand  for  ship  building. 

Of  the  nine  species  of  Hickory  in  North  America  seven 
are  found  within  the  boundaries  of  North  Carolina.  This 
wood  is  highly  prized  by  the  wheel-wright,  being  very  hard, 
dense  and  tough. 

Many  of  the  large  swamps  in  the  eastern  part  of  the  State 
are  covered  with  extensive  forests  of  Cypress.  The  light- 
ness and  durability  of  this  wood  are  well  known.  It  is 
principally  used  for  the  manufacture  of  shingles,  though 
considerable  quantities  have  lately  been  exported  from 
Wilmington  to  the  West  Indies  in  the  shape  of  railway 
cross-ties  or  sleepers. 

The  other  most  valuable  forest  trees  found  in  the  State 
are  the  Walnut,  Chestnut,  Juniper,  Poplar,  Maple,  Beech, 
Elm,  Cedar  and  Holly. 

MINERALS. 

The  western  and  central  parts  of  North  Carolina  are  very 
rich  in  minerals.  The  most  useful  and  important  are  :  Gold, 
Silver,   Copper,   Lead,   Zinc,   Mica,   Graphite,   Iron,   Coal, 


Marl,  Limestone,  Grindstone,  Marble  and  Slate,  and  also 
Diamond,  Garnet,  Sapphire,  Ruby,  Beryl  and  Amethyst. 
The  precious  stones  are  seldom  met  with,  though  several 
very  valuable  specimens  have  been  found. 

The  first  gold  mines  in  the  United  States  were  discovered 
in  North  Carolina  about  1820,  and  worked  on  quite  a  large 
scale — yielding  many  millions  of  dollars — till  the  discovery 
of  the  California  mines  in  1847.  A  nugget  weighing  twenty- 
eight  pounds  was  found  in  this  State  said  to  be  the  largest 
in  the  world  up  to  the  discovery  of  the  Calif ornian  deposits. 
Gold  is  found  in  workable  quantities  in  twenty-nine  coun- 
ties of  the  State. 

Extensive  and  valuable  deposits  of  iron  ore  are  widely 
distributed  over  the  western  and  middle  districts.  The  ore 
In  many  cases  is  very  rich,  yielding  85  per  cent,  of  excellent 
iron,  equal  in  quality  to  the  best  Swede.  The  value  of  some 
of  the  most  profitable  mines  is  enhanced  by  their  situation 
on  the  navigable  streams,  Cape  Fear  and  Roanoke,  and  also 
by  the  proximity  of  large  beds  of  coal.  Iron  is  found  in 
workable  quantities  in  thirty  counties. 

The  coal  of  the  State  is  mostly  bituminous  and  is  well 
adapted  to  the  manufacture  of  gas  and  is  also  valuable 
when  coked  for  smelting  purposes.  The  two  largest  and 
most  important  coal  beds  are  situated  near  the  head-waters 
of  the  Roanoke  and  Cape  Fear  Rivers.  The  workable 
seams  vary  from  three  to  seven  and  a  half  feet  in  thickness. 

Within  the  last  few  years  a  number  of  Mica  mines  have 
been  opened  in  the  western  counties  and  have  proved  very 
profitable.  The  plates  of  Mica  are  of  remarkable  size,  many 
being  three  and  four  feet  in  diameter. 

Marl  is  about  the  only  mineral  that  is  found  in  the  eastern 
district  where,  however,  it  is  very  abundant  and  is  used 
principally  for  fertilizing  purposes. 

POPULATION. 

The  original  settlers  came  principally  from  Scotland,  the 


9 

North  of  Ireland,  England  and'  Germany.  Many  of  the 
colonists  came  over  direct  from  Europe,  and  others  by  way 
■of  the  Northern  States. 

The  most  numerous  and  industrious  class  is  probably  the 
Scotch  and  Scotch- Irish  and  their  descendants,  many  coun- 
ties being  settled  almost  exclusively  by  them.  Since  the 
United  States  became  independent  of  Great  Britain  there 
has  been  very  little  immigration  to  this  State,  and  the 
emigration  to  the  neAv  States  in  the  South  and  West  has 
been  greater  than  the  immigration  from  the  North. 

In  1870  the  population  was  estimated  at  : 

White 678,670 

Colored ' 802,891 

Total 1,071,56] 

The  population  would  have  been  50,000  more  but  for  the 
late  war,  judging  from  the  former  rate  of  increase. 

INDUSTRIES. 

Since  the  settlement  of  the  country  agriculture  has  been 
the  leading  pursuit.  Mining  is  carried  on  to  a  considerable 
extent  in  the  western  and  midland  counties. 

It  is  supposed  that  about  live  thousand  men  in  the  east- 
ern or  pitch  pine  region  of  the  State  are  engaged  in  the 
manufacture  of  naval  stores  and  probably  half  as  many 
more  in  the  manufacture  of  pitch  pine  lumber.  The  major- 
ity of  the  cotton  and  woolen  manufactories  are  situated  in 
the  central  portion  of  the  State,  where  the  numerous  rivers 
and  water  courses  furnish  almost  unlimited  water  power. 
Nearly  all  the  industries  of  the  State  are  in  a  very  back- 
ward condition  owing  to  the  want  of  capital  to  develop  its 
great  natural  resources.  The  greater  part  of  the  available 
capital  the  State  possessed  was  lost  in  the  late  civil  war. 


10 

The  "banks  still  charge  from  fifteen  to  eighteen  per  cent. 
interest  for  money  on  good  security. 

AGRICULTURE. 

About  nine-tenths  of  the  population  are  engaged  in  agri- 
cultural pursuits.  The  whole  system  of  agriculture  in  this 
State  is  very  inferior  to  that  of  most  European  countries  or 
even  to  that  of  the  Northern  States.  The  abundance  and 
cheapness  of  land  tempts  many  of  the  farmers  to  cultivate 
their  fields  for  a  number  of  successive  years  without  fer- 
tilizing them  to  any  extent,  and  when  the  strength  has  be- 
come exhausted  the  field  is  abandoned  and  a  new  piece  of 
virgin  land  is  cleared  and  put  through  the  same  process. 

Since  the  abolition  of  slavery,  however,  :his  bad  practice 
has  not  been  so  common,  the  tendency  now  being  to  reduce 
the  acreage  and  raise  the  standard  of  cultivation.  By  these 
means  as  large  a  yield  is  now  often  obtained  from  one  acre 
as  was  formerly  had  from  two.  About  half  the  area  of  the 
State  is  suitable  to  the  growth  of  cotton  and  of  late  years 
the  production  of  this  great  staple  has  been  very  largely 
increased.  The  soil  of  some  of  the  southern  counties  is 
especially  adapted  to  cotton  culture,  the  yield  being  quite, 
large  alid  the  quality  equal  to  that  of  the  New  Orleans 
cotton.  The  cotton  crop  of  the  United  States  for  1874  is  es- 
timated at  3,500,000  bales,  of  which  about  200,000  bales 
were  produced  in  North  Carolina.  The  Tobacco  plant 
thrives  in  about  one-third  of  the  State.  It  is  most  profit- 
ably cultivated  in  the  northern  and  western  counties  where 
a  very  fine  quality  is  produced.  Very  little  of  the  tobacco 
crop  is  shipped  at  the  ports  of  the  State.  The  most  of  it  is 
sent  to  Danville,  Petersburg  and  Richmond,  in  Virginia, 
where  large  quantities  of  North  Carolina  tobacco  are  manu- 
factured and  sold  as  Virginian.  Before  the  emancipation 
of  the  slaves,  rice  was  extensively  cultivated  in  the  south- 
eastern counties,  especially  along  the  Cape  Fear  River,  but 


11 

since  then  rice  culture  in  this  State  has  been  almost 
abandoned  owing  principally  to  the  difficulty  and  expense 
of  obtaining  suitable  labor  and  also  to  the  low  prices  that 
have  prevailed. 

Wheat,  Rye  and  Oats  grow  in  all  parts  of  the  State,  but 
thrive  best  in  the  western  and  northern  counties. 

Indian  corn  or  maze  is  the  principal  bread  crop  of  the 
southern  and  eastern  counties.  Large  quantities  of  this 
grain  are  raised  on  the  rich  alluvial  lands  of  the  eastern 
and  north-eastern  counties  and  shipped  to  the  pitch  pine 
region  of  the  State  and  also  to  Norfolk  and  Baltimore. 

The  light,  sandy  soil  of  the  piney-woods  section  is  well 
adapted  to  the  growth  of  the  Sweet  Potato — one  acre  of 
moderately  fertile  land  often  yielding  three  hundred  bushels 
of  potatoes. 

North  Carolina  is  well  adapted  to  the  production  of 
grapes  and  fruit — dried  fruit  especial^  being  quite  an  im- 
portant item  among  the  exports  of  the  State.  It  is  mostly 
shipped  by  railway  to  New  York  and  other  northern  mar- 
kets. 

Several  of  the  most  valuable  varieties  of  grapes  grown  in 
America,  such  as  the  Catawba,  Isabella,  Lincoln  and  Scup- 
pernong  are  natives  of  North  Carolina.  It  is  thought 
that  in  the  course  of  a  few  years  this  will  be  one  of  the  prin- 
cipal wine  producing  States  in  America. 

MINING. 

Several  valuable  gold  mines  have  lately  been  purchased 
by  northern  capitalists  who  have  erected  heavy  and  ex- 
pensive machinery  and  begun  work  on  an  extensive  scale. 

Many  parties  have  been  very  profitably  engaged  for  a 
number  of  years  washing  the  gold  gravel  beds  along  the 
streams  and  water-courses  in  the  auriferous  region.  Most 
of  the  gold  mines  in  the  State  lie  on  or  near  the  surface — only 


one  has  been  worked  to  a  depth  of  seven  hundred  feet,  and 
one  to  a  depth  of  one  hundred  and  fifty  feet. 

Copper  has  "been  found  in  twelve  counties,  and  before  the 
late  war  a  number  of  extensive  mines  were  worked  :  since 
then,  however,  little  has  been  done  in  copper  mining.  At 
present  there  is  only  one  important  mine  that  is  being  vigo- 
rously worked.  At  this  mine  a  large  smelting  establish- 
ment has  been  erected,  and  from  three  to  five  tons  of  copper 
per  diem  are  produced. 

Two  or  three  valuable  iron  mines  have  recently  been 
opened  in  the  central  part  of  the  State,  but  owing  to  the 
present  depressed  condition  of  the  iron  market  very  little  is 
being  done. 

MANUFACTORIES. 

North  Carolina  possesses  great  natural  facilities  for  manu- 
facturing. In  addition  to  the  abundance  of  water-power — 
many  of  the  streams  having  a  descent  of  a  thousand  feet  in 
their  course  from  the  mountains  to  the  sea — building  stone, 
timber  and  fuel  are  very  plentiful.  There  is  also  little  or 
no  ice  to  obstruct  operations  during  the  winter  and  labor 
can  be  had  cheaper  than  in  the  Northern  States.  As  before 
stated,  there  are  about  five  hundred  turpentine  distilleries 
in  the  pitch  pine  region,  about  thirty  of  which  are  in  the 
city  of  Wilmington,  where  there  are  also  five  steam  saw  mills, 
three  steam  grain-mills,  a  rice  mill,  and  a  steam  mill  for  the 
manufacture  of  paper  material  from  reeds  or  canes  which 
grow  in  great  profusion  along  the  lower  banks  of  the  Cape 
Fear  River  :  there  is  also  a  large  cotton  factory  in  process 
of  erection.  Throughout  the  State  there  are  about  twenty 
cotton  and  woolen  manufactories  of  considerable  importance. 
Last  year  some  of  these  made  a  profit  of  twent}^  per  cent. 
on  their  capital  when  many  Northern  cotton  factories  had 
to  suspend  operations  or  limit  their  production  to  about 
half  their  capacity.-     It  is  thought  North  Carolina  will  be- 


13 

come  a  great  manufacturing  State,  though  at  present  manu- 
factories are  neither  numerous  nor  extensive,  owing  to  the 
great  scarcity  of  capital. 

FISHERIES. 

Many  of  the  inhabitants  of  the  sea-coast  are  engaged  in 
the  fisheries  of  the  State.  The  most  abundant  kinds  of  iish 
being  Mullets,  Herring,  Shad,  Trout,  Mackerel  and  Blue 
Fish.  The  annual  catch  is  estimated  at  a  hundred  thou- 
sand barrels — worth  about  half  a  million  dollars. 

[Much  of  the  foregoing  information  was  kindly  furnished  by  Prof.  W. 
0.  Kerr,  the  State  Geologist.] 


NAVIGATION'  AND  COMMERCE. 


On  its  two  hundred  miles  of  sea-const  North  Carolina  lias 
only  three  seaports  and  two  good. harbours. 

The  former  are  New-Berne,  Beaufort  and  Wilmington  ; 
and  the  latter  Beaufort  and  Wilmington. 

New-Berne  is  situated  on  the  Neuse  River,  about  75  miles 
from  the  sea.  It  is  only  accessible  to  vessels  of  light  draught 
which  have  to  sail  through  Pamlico  Sound. 

With  the  exception  of  a  small  trade  with  the  West  Indies 
it  has  no  foreign  commerce,  almost  its  whole  trade  being 
between  New  York  and  Baltimore,  to  both  of  which  places 
it  has  a  regular  line  of  small  steamers. 

Beaufort — a  few  miles  south  of  Cape  Lookout — has  the 
best  natural  harbour  in  the  State,  but  is  not  a  place  of  much 
commercial  importance. 

Wilmington,  the  principal  seaport  of  the  State,  is  situated 
on  the  east  bank  of  the  Cape  Fear  River,  on  a  long,  narrow, 
sancty  peninsula,  which  opposite  the  city  is  only  seven  or 
eight  miles  broad;  the  distance  by  the  river,  however,  to 
the  main  entrance  to  the  harbour  is  over  thirty  miles. 

In  the  year  1701,  during  a  heavy  storm,  the  sea  broke 
through  the  narrow  peninsular—at  this  point  quite  low  and 
only  about  a  mile  wide — which  separates  it  from  the  river 
and  formed  what  is  now  known  as  New  Inlet. 

The  harbour  was  greatly  damaged  by  the  opening  of  this 
3iew  entrance  as  it  decreased  the  depth  of  water  on  the  main 
bar  between  three  and  four  feet,  and  formed  shoals  in  the 
river.  The  New  Inlet  is  about  ten  miles  nearer  the  city 
than  the  old  one,  but  as  it  has  only  ten  or  twelve  feet  of 
water  at  high  tide  it  is  not  navigable  for  large  vessels. 


15 

Within  the  past  year  the  current  of  the  river  lias  been 
cutting  out  a  new  and  deeper  channel,  and  at  present  the 
only  obstruction  between  Wilmington  and  the  sea  is  the 
shoals  in  the  river  below  the  city,  supposed  to  have  been 
formed  by  the  opening  of  New  Inlet. 

The  government  has  now  a  dredge-boat  at  work  at  this 
point,  which  has  been  doing  very  good  service  of  late,  and 
it  is  hoped  large  vessels  will  soon  be  able  to  take  in  their 
full  cargoes  at  Wilmington  and  proceed  at  once  to  sea  with- 
out  the  necessity  of  lightering.  For  the  last  two  years  the 
government  has  also  had  a  force  at  work  at  New  Inlet 
building  breakwaters  and  otherwise  endeavoring  to  send 
the  whole  volume  of  water  out  through  the  old  channel  and 
thus  restore  it  to  its  original  depth,  but  owing  to  the  strength 
and  direction  of  the  currents  and  the  shifting  nature  of  the 
sands  at  the  new  entrance  it  has  been  found  exceedingly 
difficult  to  close  it.  The  work,  however,  is  still  going  on, 
the  last  Congress  having  appropriated  150, 000  dollars  for 
this  purpose  and  the  engineer  and  parties  in  charge  are  still 
hopeful  of  success.  The  prominent  points  on  the  coast  are 
well  supplied  with  light-houses,  and  besides  those  at  each 
entrance  to  the  Cape  Fear  River  there  is  also  a  light  ship 
stationed  on  Frying  Pan  Shoals,  about  twenty-five  miles 
from  the  land.  For  the  maintainance  of  light-houses  and 
similar  purposes,  the  government  imposes  a  tax  of  thirty 
cents  per  ton  once  a  year  on  all  vessels  (American  and 
foreign)  trading  between  the  United  States  and  foreign 
countries. 

With  this  exception  the  custom-house  fees  at  this  port 
are  quite  moderate,  in  most  cases  amounting  to  less  than 
six  dollars  for  both  entering  and  clearing. 

The  other  port  charges  besides  pilotage  and  towage  are 
harbour-master's  and  quarantine  physician's  fees.  The 
former  is  three  dollars  and  the  latter  generally  live  dollars 
on  all  vessels  subject  to  quarantine. 


1G 


The  following  are  the  present  rates  of  pilotage,  towage 
-and  lighterage : 

RATES   OF  PILOTAGE, 
For  the  Cape  Fear  Bars  and  River,  established  on  the  2d 

day  of  August,  1870,  in  accordance  with  existing  Acts  of 

the  Legislature  of  North  Carolina,  to  go  into  operation 

August  loth,  1870. 


Svery  vessel  drawing 

IB  .a 

6    feet  a 

61     " 

i.  3F5.  S»  : 

nd  under 

i        it 

01    fe 

7  ' 
71       ' 

8  ' 
81       ' 

9  ' 
91       < 

10        ' 
10£      ' 
11 

111       ' 
J2"       ' 
12J      ' 
13        ' 
131       ' 
14"       ' 
141      ' 
15 

151       ' 
10         ' 
161       ' 
17 

171       ' 
18 

01     fe 
7 
i  ■', 

s"      ' 

81  ' 
9  ' 
91       ' 

10" 

101       ' 

11 

111       ' 

12 

121       « 

.1  Q                t 

131       ' 
14 

141       ' 
15 
151       ' 

'    9  75 

u         it             u 
ii         ii             u 

7  " 
71     " 

8  " 
81     " 

9  " 
91     " 

10"     " 
101     " 

ll"    " 
111   " 

12"     " 
121     " 
13"     " 

131     " 
14"     " 

141    " 

15  " 
151     " 

16  " 

161     " 

17  " 

171     " 

6  feet  a 
61     " 

7  " 
71     " 

8  " 
81     " 
9"     " 
9.1     " 

io"    " 
10.1     " 

11  " 
111   '• 

12  " 
I'M-     " 
13"     " 

131     " 
14       " 

141     " 

15"     " 

i        it 

i        ti 
t        it 
i        1 1 
i        ti 

t        ii 
t        a 
i        1 1 

t        tt 
t        1 1 
i        1 1 
t        ti 

t        tt 

ad  under 

t        ti 

t        1 1 

i        1 1 
t        1 1 
t        1 1 
t        ti 

'    10  75 

'    11  50 

ii         it             u 

'    12  00 

u         u             it 
u         ii             ii 

'    12  75 

'    13  59 

ii         it             tt 
u         it             it 
ii         it             tt 

'    14  50 

' 15  25 

'    17  00 

tt         it             tt 
it         tt             it 

1    18  50 

'    20  50 

tt         it             ti 

'    22  50 

U                 11                         tl 

;    25  50 

ll            It                  It 

'    28  50 

11             It                  ll 
.1             11                  It 

'    31  00 

'    34  00 

It             11                  11 

'    38  00 

11             11                  tt 
It             11                   II 

'    42  On 

'    45  00 

1!                     11                              It 

'    50  00 

It                     ll                              ll 
11                     11                              11 

'    00  00 

11                     11                              11 

]very  vessel  drawing 

'    05  00 

et  .                 ..  $  9  50 

'    10  50 

tt         u             it 

'    12  00 

ti         it             ti 

t!                     11                              ll 
tt                     11                              It 
It                     11                               tt 

'    12  50 

'    13  00 

'    13  50 

'    14  00 

U                     1  I                               ll 
It                     11                               11 

'    15  00 

4    16  00 

11                     It                               t 1 
11                     11                               11 
11                     tt                               11 
It                     It                              It 

'    18  Olt 

'    19  75 

'    24  00 

ll                     It                              It 

'    26  50 

>t                     tt                               tl 

4    29  00 

1!                     11                               11 

'    32  00 

11                     ll                              tl 

'    35  00 

1  1                     11                               t 1 

'    40  00 

ll               ti                      :  t 

'    44  00 

17 

RATES   OF  TOWAGE  FOR  CAPE  FEAR  BARS 
AND  RIVER. 


S  O  3E2: 0  O  KT  EI  3RL S . 


UNDER  300  TONS. 

As  per  agreement  according  to  draft  of  water. 

OVER   300    TONS. 

From  Sea  to  Wilmington  ami  to  Sea  again $125  00 

From  Smithville  or  above  to  Wilmington  and  to  Sea loo  00 

From  Wilmington  to  Sea 85  00 


ssc?tt-a.:fl:e2  riggeb  vessels. 

UNDER  250  TONS. 

From  Sea  to  Wilmington  and  to  Sea  again $100  00 

From  Smithville  or  above  to  Wilmington  and  to  Sea 87  50 

From  Wilmington  to  Sea 75  00 

OVER  250    TONS. 

From  Sea  to  Wilmington  and  to  Sea  again,  per  ton 50  cents. 

From  Smithville  or  above  to  Wilmington  and  to  Sea,  per  ton... 45  cents. 
From  Wilmington  to  Sea,  per  ton 40  cents. 


A  deduction  of  10  cents  per  ton  on  above  rates  will  be  allowed  all 
vessels  towed  by  the  ton ,  over  250  tons  which  do  not  have  cargo  lightered, 
or  whose  lighterage  is  done  by  barges  and  vessels  connected  with  and 
furnished  by  owners  of  Steam  Tugs. 

Vessels  with  cargo  both  ways,  $10  in  addition  to  above  rates. 

Harbor  Towage  on  application. 

Hawser  Hire  each  time,  $10  00. 

Disabled  vessels  or  vessels  in  distress  are  not  included  in  above  rates. 


RATES  OF  LIGHTERAGE, 

Which  apply  to  Vessels  lying  at  Smithville.     Greater  or 

less  distances  as  per  agreement. 


Spirits  Turpentine,  per  cask 20  cents. 

Tar  and  Rosin,  per  bid 15  cents. 

Cotton,  per  bale 60  cents. 


IS 

The  depressed  state  of  the  Naval  Store  and  Lumber 
markets  during  the  past  year  has  had  a  very  had  effect  on 
the  trade  of  this  port.  The  prices  declined  from  fifteen  to 
twenty -five  per  cent.,  from  what  they  were  last  year,  on  the 
principal  articles  of  export,  so  that  in  some  cases  manufac- 
turers were  compelled  to  work  at  a  loss,  in  order  to  meet 
their  obligations. 

Notwithstanding  these  very  unfavourable  circumstances, 
however,  it  will  be  seen  on  referring  to  the  following  tables 
that  there  has  been  an  increase  both  in  the  tonnage,  and  the 
quantity  of  exports.  Special  attention  is  called  to  the 
great  increase  of  Norwegian  shipping  during  the  past  three 
years,  as  is  shown  in  Table  A.  In  1872  only  thirteen  Nor- 
wegian vessels  visited  the  port,  while  in  1874  there  were 
sixty-six  arrivals.  Seventy-two  Norwegian  vessels,  with  an 
aggregate  tonnage  of  9,158!  lasts,  sailed  from  the  port 
during  the  past  year  with  cargoes  valued  at  1,301,431 
dollars,  and  during  the  same  time  there  were  five  Swedish 
vessels  whose  tonnage  amounted  to  51 G^  nylaster,  and  the 
value  of  the  cargoes  to  45,017  dollars,  making  a  total  of  72 
Scavdinavian  vessels  cleared  during  the  year  with  cargoes 
valued  at  1,346,448  dollars. 

With  the  exception  of  one  vessel  that  went  to  Cardenas 
with  Cypress  Eailway  Ties,  and  another  to  Demerara  with  a 
cargo  of  Pitch  Pine  Lumber,  these  vessels  were  loaded  with 
Cotton  and  Naval  Stores. 

All  the  Cotton  was  shipped  to  Liverpool,  and  the  Naval 
Stores  principally  to  Great  Britain,  the  Netherlands,  and 
German}'. 

Special  attention  is  also  called  to  the  rapid  increase  in 
the  foreign  shipments  of  Cotton  from  this  port  as  is  shown 
in  Table  JB. 

It  is  thought  that  next  year  the  increase  will  be  still 
greater,  and  preparations  are  being  made  for  better  and 
greater  facilities  in  pressing  and  stowing  the  Cotton. 


19 

Formerly  nearly  all  the  foreign  business  of  the  place  was 
done  through  New  York,  but  for  the  last  two  years  there 
has  been  a  rapidly  growing  direct  trade — the  merchants 
receiving  orders  for  cargoes  direct  from  their  correspondents 
abroad  instead  of  through  New  York. 

The  completion  of  the  Carolina  Central  Railway  last 
month  to  Charlotte — a  growing  and  prosperous  town  in  the 
western  part  of  the  State— through  the  Cotton  growing 
section  is  expected  to  largely  increase  the  trade  of 
Wilmington. 

When  this  railway  is  finished,  it  will  connect  with  the 
railway  system  of  the  Mississippi  valley,  and  shorten  the 
distance  between  the  Southern  part  of  this  fertile  region 
and  the  North  Atlantic  Ocean  several  hundred  miles,  and 
thus  give  a  powerful  impetus  to  the  trade  of  this  port  which 
will  be  its  Eastern  terminus. 

Until  within  a  few  weeks,  there  has  been  no  direct  com- 
munication between  the  Western  part  of  the  State  and  the 
Seaboard,  and  accordingly  the  products  of  this  the  richest 
section  of  North  Carolina  have  been  shipped  overland  by 
railway  through  Virginia  to  Richmond,  Norfolk  and  the 
Northern  Cities  instead  of  through  the  Seaports  of  the  State. 

At  present  there  are  over  twelve  hundred  miles  in 
operation,  and  two  or  three  hundred  miles  more  projected. 

Wilmington  is  the  terminus  of  three  railways — the 
"  Wilmington  and  Weldon,"  connecting  it  with  New  York 
via  Richmond  and  Norfolk,  the  "Wilmington,  Columbia 
and  Augusta,"  which  connects  it  with  the  Southern  and 
Southwestern  Cities,  and  the  "Carolina  Central,"  which, 
when  completed,  will  connect  it  with  Cincinnati  and  the 
Western  and  Northwestern  country.  It  has  also  a  semi- 
weekly  line  of  Steamers  to  both  New  York  and  Baltimore, 
and  a  weekly  line  to  Philadelphia,  besides  numerous 
sailing  vessels  to  the  various  Northern  ports. 

All  the  coastwise  imports  and  exports  are  in  American 
vessels,  as  the  United  States  government  does  not  allow 
foreign  ships  to  engage  in  its  coasting  trade. 


20 

Through  the  various  channels  above  mentioned  nearly 
all  the  imports  are  received  form  the  North. 

The  value  of  direct  foreign  imports  entered  at  Wilmington 
during  the  year  1874,  only  amounted  to  a  little  over  120,000 
dollars,  and  consisted  principally  of  Salt  and  Iron  from 
Europe  and  Fruit  and  Molasses  from  the  West  Indies.  The 
duty  on  salt  is  eight  cents  per  100  pounds,  which  at  the 
present  price  is  between  m» and  r&Kper  cent,  /The  duty  on 
many  other  articles  of  daily  use  is  much  greater  being  as 
high  as  60,  75  and  100  per  cent.,  and  over.  The  Southern 
and  Western  States  are  thus  compelled  by  a  very  oppresive 
tariff  to  use  the  products  and  manufactures  of  the  Northern 
States.  It  is  thought,  however,  that  there  will  soon  be  a 
change  in  the  administration  of  the  government,  when  a 
more  liberal  and  equitable  policy  will,  in  all  probability, 
be  pursued. 

The  following  Table  A  is  a  comparative  statement  of  the 
nationalit}^,  number,  and  tonnage  of  vessels  entering  the 
port  during  the  past  three  years.  It  does  not  include, 
however,  the  numerous  arrivals  of  small  vessels  engaged  in 
the  coasting  trade  of  this  State — no  record  of  these  being- 
kept  at  the  Custom  House,  is  is  estimated  that  there  were 
between  400  and  450  such  arrivals  during  the  year  1874; 
the  inward  cargoes,  consisting  principally  of  Corn.  Fish, 
Naval  Stores,  and  Cotton,  being  valued  at  560,000  dollars, 
and  the  return  or  outward  cargoes  of  general  merchandise, 
at  200,000  dollars,  'fable  B  is  a  comparative  statement  of 
the  qumtity  and  value  of  the  principal  articles  exported 
from  the  port  of  Wilmington  during  the  same  period — the 
last  three  years. 

It  does  not  include  the  miscellaneous  articles  exported,  or 
the  Cotton  and  other  produce  shipped  by  railway  to  the 
Northern  markets.  As  the  Custom  House  keeps  no  record 
of  the  value  of  coastwise  shipments,  the  valuation  given  in 
the  table  is  only  approximate.  Considerable  pains,  how- 
ever, have  been  taken  to  make  the  figures  as  accurate  as 
possible. 


21 


[A]  TABLE 

.Showing  the  Nationalities,   Kind,  Number,   aud  Tonnage  of  Vessels 

entering   the   Port  of  Wilmington,    N.    C,    during   the  years  1872, 

1873   and    1874: 

18  7  2. 


Nationality. 

No.  of 
Steamers. 

Tonnage 
Steamers. 

No.  of 
Sailing 

Vessels. 

Tonnage 

of 
Sailing  j 

Vessels,  j 

Total 
No.  of 
Vessels. 

Total 
Tonnage. 

American 

180     111,955 

249 
52 
13 

5 
35 

2 

i 

56,256 

13,129 

3,189 

1,157 

11,260 

579 
290 

429 
52 
13 

5 
35 

2 

1 

168,211 
13,129 

British 

Norwegian 

3,189 

.Swedish 

German 

1,157 
11  260 

Spanish 

Russian 



579 

290 

Total  1872 

180     1 1 1  -955 

357 

85,860 

537 

197,815 

18  7  3 


American 

British 

182 

114,250 

2491     56,400 

72j      18,935 

49       12,599 

7         1,973 

84i      26,828 

4        1,348 

1           396 

431     170,650 
72i      18,935 

Norwegian 

49       12,599 

Swedish 

7!        1,973 

German 

84      26,828 

Spanish 

Russian 

4j        1,348 
1           396 

Total  1873 

182 

114,250             466     118  479 

648     232,729 

18  7  4 


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The  appended  communication  v/as  received  from  Rev.  J. 
L.  Keen,  Chaplain  of  the  Port,  and  will  very  probably 
prove  of  interest. 

Wilmington,  N.  C,  Dee.  1874. 
Mr.  it.  E.  Heidi:, 

Vice-Consul  of  Denmark,  Sweden  and  Norway. 
Dear  Sir  :  In  compliance  with  your  request,  I  herewith  give  you  a 
statement  of  our  work,  as  a  Seamen's  Friend  Society  at  this  Port ;  also, 
of  the  work  contemplated,  partly  performed  audio  l>e  speedily  com- 
pleted. Our  object  you  will  find  fully  explained  in  Article  2d  of  the 
Constitution,  to-wit  : 

"The  great  leading  object  of  this  Society  shall  be  to  improve  the  so- 
.cial,  moral  and  religious  condition  and  character  of  Seamen ;  and,  as 
means  to  secure  these  ends,  there  shall  be  erected,  in  this  town,  a  suit- 
able building  for  a  Boarding  House  or  Mariner's  Home,  to  be  conducted 
under  the  general  management  of  this  Society,  where  the  seamen  shall 
be  properly  cared  for  and  attended,  as  well  in  sickness  as  in  health; 
and,  there  .-ball  also  be  provided  a  Mariner's  Church  in  which  the 
teaching  and  ministration  (if  the  Gospel  shall  be  secured." 

To  carry  out  the  provisions  of  the  Charter,  Constitution  and  By-Laws, 
a  Board  of  Trustees  consisting  of  fifteen  gentlemen,  who  are  to  meet 
every  three  months;  and  an  Executive  Committee  consisting  of  six 
Trustees  whose  duty  it  is  to  meet  the  last  Friday  evening  in  every 
month,  are  elected  at  each  Annual  Meeting  in  February  by  all  the 
members  of  the  Society  front  among  their  it  umber.  To  guard  against 
sectarian  predominance  the  constitution  forbids  that  more  than  one- 
third  of  the  Trustee  shall  at  any  time  be  of  one  religious  denomination. 

Tiie  Trustees  now  in  charge  of  the  work  are  gentlemen  of  the  highest 
social  and  business  standing,  representing  all  the  Protestant  denomina- 
tions in  the  city,  and  are  all  members  of  some  branch  of  Christ's  Church. 
Among  these  are  three  Vice-Consuls  (embracing  yourself  I,  and  the  other 
two,  (Spanish  and  French,)  are  members  of  the  Society. 

All  but  two  of  tlte  Trustees  are  to  a  greater  or  less  extent  engaged  in 
shipping,  a:ui  arc  acquainted  with  tin:  needs  of  the  sailors.  They  arc 
our  leading  merchants  rend  most  reliable  men. 


24 

The  Mariner's  Home  is  a  new  and  comfortable  building,  conveniently 
and  pleasantly  located,  near  the  water.  Has  modern  improvements, 
well  furnished,  kept  clean,  table  well  supplied  daily  from  the  markets, 
bedding  cleanly,  and  often  changed ;  well  conducted.  The  keeper,  with 
his  family,  lives  in  the  Home.  Adjoining  the  Home  is  the  Bethel,  a 
large  and  very  comfortable  hall,  furnished  plain  and  substantial,  with 
proper  heating  apparatus  for  cold  weather.  This  hall  was  built  express- 
ly for  this  purpose. 

The  Bethel  is  open  every  Sunday  for  Divine  Worship.  During  the 
working  days  and  on  Sunday  morning  the  Chaplain  visits  the  shipping 
and  distributes  tracts  among  the  men  in  their  own  language.  Every 
provision  has  been  made  for  their  spiritual  welfare  that  can  be  under 
the  circumstances. 

We  have  been  much  troubled  by  the  keepers  of  disreputable  boarding- 
houses.  They  use  every  effort  to  entice  sailors  from  their  ships,  secrete 
them,  rob  them  and  then  turn  them  into  the  streets  to  suffer  if  they 
cannot  ship  them  and  get  the  advance  wages. 

By  my  recommendation  this  evil  is  being  promptly  met  by  the  Trus- 
tees, and  we  are  now  in  consultation  with  the  civil  authorities  who  have 
promised  all  aid  in  their  power,  to  break  up  these  dens  of  iniquity  and 
to  stop  their  nefarious  traffic  in  human  flesh  and  souls. 

Arrangements  have  been  completed  and  a  Pest  House  is  now  being 
erected  on  the  river  shore,  about  four  miles  below  the  city,  in  which  all 
seamen  sick  with  pestilential  diseases  will  be  placed,  under  the  especial 
care  of  the  Society,  where  they  will  receive  food,  clothing,  nursing  and. 
medical  attendance  at  as  little  cost  as  possible  for  proper  care,  thus 
taking  them  out  of  the  hands  of  the  city  authorities  and  putting  down 
the  exhorbitant  charges  by  the  same. 

In  the  house  and  above  the  Bethel  we  have  a  large  and  very  comfort- 
able hall,  to  be  used  as  a  hospital  for  sick  seamen  ;  and  arrangements 
are  being  made  with  a  view  to  take  care  of  foreign  sick  sailors  there  at 
a  reasonable  charge. 

The  Marine  Hospital  for  American  Seamen  having  been  turned  into 
a  political  machine  for  making  money,  was  taken  from  us  and  placed 
in  the  hands  of  an  outside  party,  the  building  being  at  least  a  mile  from 
the  water-side.  Wre  are  trying  to  have  it  transferred  to  us  again,  so 
that  the  seamen  may  be  under  the  watchful  care  of  those  who  have  no 
desire  to  speculate  upon  or  make  money  out  of  their  necessites. 

I  am  not  fully  prepared  to  make  a  general  statement,  butean  say  that 
I  believe  we  have  now  inaugurated  movements  that  will  do  much  in 
carrying  to  a  successful  issue,  the  objects  for  which  the  Society  was 
organized,  ie,  the  social,  moral  and  religions  welfare  of  the  sailors,  of 


25 

till  nations,  who  visit  our  port.  Much  good  has  been  accomplished 
since  its  organization  in  February,  1853.  And,  with  God's  approving 
smile  upon  our  labors,  great,  very  great  good  will  be  accomplished  in 
the  future. 

We  have  not  reached  the  meridian  of  our  labor;  but  we  erase  not 
until  all  nations,  kindreds,  tribes  and  tongues  shall  confess— not  only, 
that  Jesus  is  the  Christ,  but  shall  own  him  as  their  personal  Saviour — 
having  found  peace  with  God  through  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ. 

Very  respectfully,  your  obedient  servant, 

JOSEPH  L.  KEEN,  Jk.,    , 
Chaplain  to  Seamen,  Port  of  Wilmington,  N.  C. 


Wilmington,  N.  C,  January  1875. 


::f'-  ' 


UNIVERSITY  OF  N.C.  AT  CHAPEL  HILL 


00034028631 


FOR  USE  ONLY  IN 
THE  NORTH  CAROLINA  COLLECTION 


Form  No.  A-368,  Rev.  8/95 


